Peace,
Scott
 

Gary went with Alice downstairs...

blah blah

...while her boyfriend made the drinks....

etc

As far as how many characters to introduce at once?

Never more than 2 until those characters are established.

Thats not to say there cannot be more characters present, but if you have ten important characters in the opening scene, pick one or two who will be immediately important and introduce them, the other introductions can follow later as we need to know each character.

The important character is the PoV character.

 

First, introducing characters IS a matter of action. Devoting paragraphs to introductions is practically worthless, IMHO, because no one ever remembers anything that isn't presented in context. You want me to know who Mary is? Show her kicking an alien's butt as she tries to escape from a maximum security prison on Proxima. James? Isn't he the guy who just werestled a laser from one of the eight-tentacled guard's arms? Peter? There he is ducking behind a wall so he doesn't get shot as he watches Mary and James in action.

Do we know any of their last names? favorfite foods? number of siblings? No, but we have something to build on and that stuff will come, when relevant and important (assuming it ever is).

Now, if you want to introduce ten people right off the bat you're going to have more trouble. They'd better e distinctive and memorable, and it's better if you have a main character, someone we get to know first, better, and who helps us to know the other nine.
 

quote:

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A third is spoken to but only when the first leaves

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To paraphrase Damon Knight, why is that character there if (s)he has nothing to do?
 

But, focus on one character at a time...and they might be focusing on another character...So max of 2 main characters in a scene. Its easier to write and easier to read.

If you need more characters, use archtypes. Most readers do not want to get to know 9 new people over the course of one book so use character types they already know.

 

Make sure to avoid this blunder (almost as bad as getting involved in a land war in Asia):

Don't refer to the same character by several different names. So, to paraphrase OSC, if your character is Captain Tim Jones, don't tell us:

Tim walked through the tight-packed halls of the space station, sweat dripping from the captain's nose and forehead. The father of two had worked late into the night before, and Mr. Jones was paying for it today.

Just give us a name, or a station (or whatever's important for the reader to know) and slip the rest in later. And make sure you refer to the MC most often as what you'd like the reader to think of him as (God, what terrible diction)--that is, if you want us to think of him as Captain, call him that. Or if you want us to think of him as Tim, call him that. BUT, only do this in the narrative. In dialogue, he'll be called by whatever name is most appropriate for the speaker--so his underlings will call him Captain, his kids will call him Dad, and his wife will call him Dear. His parents might call him Timmy, but only in a very emotional or tense moment.

This problem increases exponentially for every character you introduce--if you've got six characters in a scene, three of whom are male, you're not going to be able to use "him" or "he" as often as you'd like. So your paragraphs might become jumbles of proper names and vague descriptions (The dark-haired boy said, the blue-eyed boy said, etc.).

Just my two cents, hope this gives you something to consider.

-----------
Wellington

[Edit: Proofread, proofread, proofread.]

[This message has been edited by 'Graff (edited January 28, 2006).]
 

-----------
Wellington
 

What ever you do don't punish the faithful reader for some reader's ignorance.

I'm reading the WoT series for the first time and am now in book 6 and you have no idea how many times i've thrown the books across the room because of RJ's freaking plodding and repetitve insistance on telling the reader everyone's history towards everyone else.